The Witcher and the Wraith
by phoenixforce50
Summary: The Witcher Geralt takes a contract to guard an expeditionary force unlike any before; into a world beyond his own. He hears tell of a mysterious figure known as the Gravewalker from its denizens, a ghostly figure of great power. The truth, however, is stranger than the tale. Will Geralt be able to complete his contract and secure safe passage back home?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:** This is a work in progress. I intend to add more content once the latest game releases. So if it drops off suddenly for a while, you'll know why.

The Witcher and the Wraith

 **Chapter 1**

Geralt wandered through the Velen countryside atop his horse, Roach. The war-torn landscape looked no more appealing whichever direction he turned, so he continued onwards through the dense forest. In the distance, a small pillar of smoke could be seen. Not the kind that would indicate a blazing inferno, but the kind that indicated civilisation, and likely, work for a witcher. He spurred Roach forward, the horse obliged with a whinny and trod along the beaten path.  
He entered a large clearing where the village had been erected. His medallion had shaken some, indicating the presence of magic, once he passed through the tree line.  
He dismounted, leading Roach to a nearby trough under the shade of a towering pine tree. It had been very hot recently, and Geralt was in no mood to let his horse go thirsty, lest he need to find yet another Roach.  
As Geralt looked around, he noticed that nearly all of the village's occupants were nonhumans. He could see dwarves working at the mill, nothing on their upper halves due to the heat. An elven woman was lounging near what appeared to be the village ealdorman, presumably her husband, and Halfling children were playing nearby. He walked up to the village ealdorman,

"Greetings," began Geralt

"Good day, master witcher. What brings you to our humble village?" the ealdorman looked like a half-elf.

"Nothing specific, just roaming, looking for work. Do you have any for a witcher?"

"Apologies, but we've no need for a witcher, and are unlikely to ever do so. We've a barrier around the village to keep out all manner of beasts and monsters."

"So that's what that was,"

"Yes, our Ceandrar is a talented mage. Although, now that I speak of him, I do recall him saying he was having a spot of trouble in his endeavours, it might be of use speaking to him."

"I don't intend to be a part of some mage's experiments."

"Oh no, nothing like that. I remember him lamenting that he'd need warriors to continue his work. Doubtless to fend off some kind of beast, you'll find him in his laboratory, beyond the smithy, in the elven ruins."

The ealdorman pointed to where a crumbling monument could be seen, covered in moss, behind the blacksmith as he said.

"Thank you," Geralt nodded and turned off to walk there,

"Va faill witcher." Said the half-elf alderman

Geralt walked past several villagers, getting the usual strange looks, but surprisingly, none of them spat or called any sort of abuse at him. It was a pleasant, albeit unusual, change.  
The ruins were made of a light grey stone, moss and ivy riddled the portion which remained above ground, surrounded by the imposing trees surrounding the village, it made for an interesting sight to the witcher,

"Nature reclaims its own," he murmured before calling down the entrance

"Hey! Anyone home?"

A muffled voice replied, followed by a loud metallic clattering. A few moments later, a male elf, his dark hair tied back, stuck his head out of the darkness, squinting at the light.

"Yes? What do you want?" the elf said, clearly irritated at being disturbed

"I heard you were looking for warriors, witcher suit you needs?"

The elf's eyes lit up at Geralt's words,

"Yes! Yes indeed, I- please, do come in and follow me."

The elf ducked back into the stairway that lead into the darkened ruins below. Geralt followed behind, his eyes turning from their slits to open wider to allow more light to enter, allowing him to see clearly in the darkness.

"Oh, forgive me, I'll light our way."

"No need, I can manage." Replied Geralt

The two of them progressed down until they reached a large antechamber where the elf had set up his living space. It was meticulous, with everything squared away.

"So," said Geralt suddenly, "Are you going to tell me what this is all about?"

"Hm? Oh yes! Well, you see, I used to be a professor at Oxenfurt academy, but I was constantly mocked for my doomsday theories."

"Doomsday theories?"

"Tell me witcher, how much do you know of the Conjunction of the Spheres?"

"Not a whole lot, why?"

"Why? Why?! The Conjunction is the answer to everything! It brought magic and monsters, and even humans into our world. Unfortunately, my colleagues would not listen to my words, disregarding them as ramblings."

Geralt folded his arms, listening,

"This world was once free of humans, they came and conquered and slaughtered, like they are so wont to do. Imagine that, they are an invasive species, ousting the indigenous species. And now they treat them like dirt! But I do not blame them for such behaviour; it is their nature. And so, I proposed to find a new solution to the problem. If the human race came from a different world, why can't something like that happen again?"

"What has the Conjunction got to do with it then?"

"The Conjunction is my deadline. Once, it brought magic into our world, and the signs point to it being the end of magic when it happens again, and it will happen again witcher, mark my words. I intend to perform an exodus before that happens."

"This doesn't sound like it concerns me all."

"I'm getting to that. I have a portal to a promising new world, where we nonhumans can escape the prejudice and slander the humans cast upon us. Unfortunately, it appears some monsters dwelling deeper in the ruins have made off with some of my crystals needed to power the portal. And that is why I need your help witcher."

"Seems like a lot of effort to avoid racial prejudice. You're talking about uprooting entire civilisations to a new world, I doubt everyone will be happy with that."

"It will be voluntary, those who don't believe it is a good idea are not welcome anyway." Sniffed Ceandrar

"Fine, did you get a good look at the monsters that took your crystals?"

"No; I was awoken by a noise, and when I got there, they had already gone and my crystals were missing. Please find them, I'll pay you handsomely."

Geralt sighed,

"Fine, I'll get your crystals."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Geralt waded through the pool of water at the bottom of the ruins. He had been tracking the monsters for some time now, and he hadn't seen the sun for even longer, so he didn't know how long he'd been underground. At least he was out of the heat, the water was cool and pleasant against his skin. He exited the pool and shook some of the water out of his boots. As he did so, he noticed a series of prints on the soft ground. He bent down to have a closer look,

"Hm, small footprints, humanoid, dried mud, been a while since they came through this way. Hope the trail's not too cold."

He focused his witcher senses, picking out the trail in the dark and followed it deeper into the ruins across a stone floor, until the muddy footprints wore away. At that point, there was only one way to go, so he pressed forward cautiously. It was likely nekkers that had stolen the crystals, and had built a nest nearby. He continued, drawing his silver sword in preparation.  
Geralt's enhanced senses could hear a series of snarls coming from up ahead. He stalked forward and turned a corner. Sure enough, four nekkers could be seen, fighting over scraps of some kind of fish they had caught. One of them stopped as it saw Geralt and rose on it haunches. The others did the same and charged Geralt.

 _"_ _This won't take long,"_ thought Geralt, as he stepped forward to meet the nekker's charge.  
He sidestepped the first one and made a Sign of Igni, igniting it and the one beside it. He then stepped calmly through the other's path and decapitated it with a single swing of his sword.  
Another lunged at Geralt's back, but he spun and dropped, plunging his sword into its mouth through to its brain. The creature slumped, and Geralt kicked it off his sword, but not before one of the inflamed nekkers attacked him from behind. His armour caught most of it but it sent him stumbling forward. He swung back in retaliation, grazing the nekker who had hit him, which screamed in pain,

"How do you like that silver?"

The other nekker screeched in response and tunnelled into the soft earth. Geralt closed the distance with the wounded nekker and finished it with a bisecting sword blow, and awaited the last one to surface. It did so behind him, but Geralt felt the vibrations in the earth and pirouetted around it to cut it down.  
Geralt stood and wiped the monster blood off his blade before sheathing it. Looking around, he found a small stash of trinkets the nekkers had hoarded from the elven ruins, including the crystals he was looking for. He picked them up and made his way back.

"Aha! My crystals, many thanks master witcher." Ceandrar looked up from his megascopes to notice Geralt returning through the corridor that led deeper into the ruins.

"Some nekkers took them, they're prone to inhabit these kinds of areas. You should take precautions if you want to avoid it happening in future." Advised Geralt

"Already done, I set a barrier around my laboratory to prevent further thefts. But… there is another matter I require your assistance with witcher."

"What?" Geralt replied, slightly annoyed,

"Well, I have had little success in recruiting an expedition party to investigate this new world. And I am not so foolish to go alone, would you be willing to accompany me on my scouting?"

"It's usually polite to pay someone for the first job before asking for another."

"Oh! Of course, sorry. Here." Ceandrar handed Geralt the agreed upon amount of coin, which Geralt pocketed.

"So, how do you plan to do this?"

"Well, I had intended to go with a full party, but none of my colleagues agreed, I haven't been able to get in contact with any mercenary companies, and only a few people from the village have agreed to come along. I suppose I had better let them know. Please wait here witcher."

"Sure, why not."

Ceandrar hurried past Geralt back up the stairs to the surface, leaving Geralt to wander the laboratory. Ceandrar had a large portal frame in the middle of the wall. It was intricate and ornate, carved with meticulous care and skill, but was clearly here before Ceandrar moved in. Three slots for the crystals Geralt had recovered were set around the frame, and there were runes carved along the branches of the portal from. Geralt ran his hand over them and read them in the low light, although he could only make out a few words,

"Cáemm… stráede…tir…mor…dor?"

Geralt could not make sense of the runes, but as he finished speaking them out loud, his medallion jumped a little on its chain. He was interrupted from his thoughts be Ceandrar returning with his meagre expeditionary force. It was made up of himself, two dwarves who looked to be brothers, both carrying axes, an aged Halfling woman wearing spectacles and carrying a tome, and three other elves, two in armour, one male and one female, and a male with a bow and quiver on his back.

"Well, this is everyone who is coming with us. Geralt, meet Techa and Uno. They will be going with you as a scouting party." Said Ceandrar, indicating the two armoured elves

"Scouting party? I thought you wanted protection from whatever was on the other side."

"Yes, protection for my companions as well as myself."

"Why is a vatt'ghern coming with us? I did not agree to this Ceandrar." Said Uno angrily

"Uno, we must make precautions against the unknown, who knows what kind of monsters lie beyond the border?"

The elven archer laid a hand on Uno's shoulder and spoke in a calm tone,

"Uno, listen to yourself. We are doing this to make a home where we won't need to be ashamed for what we are. Imagine how the vatt'ghern feels when you speak of him in such a way?"

Uno breathed deep and closed her eyes, calming down.

"You are right Radra. Forgive me, Geralt."

"It's alright, I'm used to it." replied Geralt

"Well then, I have everything ready to go, shall we?" exclaimed Ceandrar happily.

Without waiting for anyone to reply, he walked over to the portal frame and inserted the three crystals into their sockets. He began chanting, and the crystals began to glow a white light, while the runes around it began to glow a bright orange like a forge. Geralt's medallion began to vibrate, more and more as the chanting continued, until finally, a portal snapped into being. Whereas most portals Geralt had seen were blue, this one was a similar orange to the runes around it, his medallion all but leapt off its chain towards the open maw of the unknown.  
The portal seemed to draw everything towards itself; light, objects, heat. Geralt could feel an incessant tugging on his person, but not only in the physical sense; it was pulling at his very being.

"Are ye sure this be safe Ceandrar?" yelled one of the dwarves over the noise the portal was making

"No! Isn't it spectacular?" replied Ceandrar with a large grin on his face,

"Onwards! To a new world!" he cried, then strode through the portal, disappearing with a sucking noise. Geralt shrugged and followed him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Geralt could feel as though every fibre of his being was being torn apart, lengthened, and being put back together again. He tried to scream in pain but he could not move his lips, let alone make a noise. All he could see was a swirling dark red mass in front of his eyes, but it was deathly quiet. A figure flashed in the corner of his vision, something that looked a lot like the king of the Wild Hunt, but was not. He tried to move his head to look, but could not, and the figure disappeared. After what seemed like an eternity, he was spat out on the other side of the portal and almost tripped over his feet at the sudden regaining of movement. His eyes slitted, as he was now outside on a clifftop in full sunlight. The scent of salt and water permeated the air.

"Saltwater, we must be near the sea."

Geralt turned and saw that indeed, they were on a coastal clifftop with the sea a short distance away. The portal frame they had exited from was in the wall of a crumbling tower that looked ancient. Ceandrar stood overlooking the view with a hand over his eyes. Geralt walked up to him as the rest of the party filtered out of the portal behind him.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" said Ceandrar

"It's a nice view." Said Geralt, matter-of-factly,

"I just hope it's everything I thought it would be. I promised these people a world without the scorn of humanity. My preliminary scrying indicates they exist here, but they live relatively peacefully with other races."

"You're saying humans already live here?"

"Yes. And elves, dwarves and Halflings. We should be able to adapt to such a world, and hopefully be accepted."

"Your scrying reveal anything else? Any monsters that we might need to worry about?"

"Yes, actually. This area is host to a large amount of humanoids that I have never seen. I do not know what they could be, but I suspect they are some kind of ogroid. However, there is one thing that they fear, that they call the Gravewalker. It is some kind of ghostly figure, and very dangerous. There are other beastly things around too, but I could not get a good look at them."

"Right, so what now?" asked Geralt, as the portal closed behind them

"Now? I must place a spell of concealment on our entryway. We don't want anyone to find it and prevent our return." Ceandrar left Geralt to do just that, and soon the frame looked as though it were just decoration on the ruined tower.  
The Halfling woman was writing furiously in her tome, while the archer, Radra, had scaled the remains of the tower and was looking around.  
Uno and Techa stood nearby, waiting for any kind of trouble. The dwarven brothers had begun to set up camp.

"Vatt'ghern Geralt, Ceandrar said we are to follow you lead. What would you have us do?" said Techa, hand on the hilt of his sword

Geralt sighed and shook his head,

"How did I get so involved in this? Fine, come with me and we'll scout the area."

Geralt walked away from the party, making a mental note of where they were, while Tech and Uno followed at a short distance behind him.  
They trekked down the cliff for some time before they came across a path. In the distance, they could make out what looked like a fishing village. They decided to go that way, in the absence of any other decent option. Storm clouds gathered at the edge of the horizon, threatening rain, a threat they carried out with due course, soaking the three of them as soon as they reached the bottom of the cliff.  
As they neared the village entrance, Geralt spied crossbowmen standing watch over the path, only, they did not look quite like men. They were taller, bulkier, and their faces looked disfigured with pointed ears. Geralt decided to take a quieter approach and hid in some nearby bushes.  
As he crept forward and the two figures were finally revealed for what they were; nonhumans. Their skin was a mottled green, and the other was a pale brown. Their crossbows looked wicked, with horns, or perhaps teeth, of some animal worked into the frame; their armour was piecemeal from jagged pieces of metal and bones of their kills.

"Must be the ogroids Ceandrar was talking about. They don't look friendly, still, should try talking to them first."

Geralt got up, told the other two to stay put unless they saw he was in trouble, then walked forward slowly, hands by his sides to show he was no threat.  
One of the guards saw him and yelled out,

"Raihjer!" its voice was low and bestial, and it pointed its crossbow at Geralt.

"Whoa, hey! I don't mean you any harm!" cried Geralt. His words were met with a bolt flying over his shoulder, with the other lining up a shot. Geralt sprang into action and drew his silver sword. He deflected the following bolts that the creatures fired at him, until they gave up seeing it was useless. One ran back, lit a torch and used it to light a signal fire, which gave a loud bellowing noise. At this point, Techa and Uno had left their hiding place and Uno threw a knife into the face of the remaining guard, sending it toppling over the edge to the ground. The three of them approached the corpse. Techa picked up the crossbow and quiver, hefting it to get a feel.

"I take it they don't like us too much?" said Techa

"No, they do not. I don't know what's coming, so be careful."

As if on cue, a small force of similar creatures ran out to meet them, all armed to the teeth. Some had tower shields and halberds, others had spears, and even more had hand axes.

"Fantastic," said Geralt sarcastically,

"I hope you can fight as well as they say vatt'ghern." Said Uno, drawing her sword


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Raihjer! Ehlefs! Gheret enm!" cried one from the back, who towered over the others with two bloody axes and clad in armour

Geralt and the elves got in a position to fight; Geralt with his silver sword, the elves with their finely-crafted steel.  
Uno let out a war cry and headed straight for the closest of the creatures. Techa, his stolen crossbow on his back, fought defensively. Geralt was forced to help Uno before she got herself killed,

"Uno! Do not prolong this! We are only scouting!" cried Techa over the din of metal on metal.

"Hah! These monsters prove no challenge to me! They fall like autumn leaves, and they are petrified by me!"

 _"_ _They're not mindless, maybe they can be reasoned with."_ Thought Geralt as he deftly caught a spear out of the air and threw it back at the one who threw it first, impaling it.

 _"_ _Never mind, I doubt they'll let this go."_

Geralt noticed that common steel worked just as well against these creatures as silver would, so he drew his steel sword

"Eeeaaarrgh!" came a cry from behind Geralt. He spun to meet his foe; the tall one from the back. It had suddenly made his way to the front and nearly caught the witcher off-guard. Geralt locked his sword with the two axes, the creature spoke, sending flecks of spittle into Geralt's face,

"Yumusbe feer rign me, ay raihjer?"

Geralt still did not understand the words, and pushed the creature back. The others gave him a wide berth. He realised it was him they were afraid of, not Uno.

"Uno! You and Techa head back now! I'll catch up!" he cried

Uno looked over her fresh kill, then back at Geralt, then grimaced and did as instructed. Techa hurried after her,

"Good luck Geralt! Do not fall to this monster!" called Techa behind him

Geralt stepped carefully, as he and his opponent circled each other.

"I don't want to hurt you, really." Said Geralt

"Shtaap spekn ninsenz!" replied his opponent, before running at Geralt with his axes swinging at his head. It was a clumsy move, but with the bulk of the creature's body behind it, a deadly one if it hit. Geralt ducked and rolled under the axe swings, narrowly missing one from a follow-through. He sliced at the creature's back, only to have his sword bounce uselessly off the armour. The creature seemed to laugh as it turned back to face him and raised its axes for another attack.  
Suddenly, a noise rushed past Geralt, almost too fast for him to see, and a pale blue arrow stuck out of the creature's foot, pinning it to the ground.  
Another creature from behind called out,

"Grayfhallker!" and pointed behind Geralt. He turned and saw a figure with a glowing bow standing on top of the bluff. The figure drew its bow again and disappeared from Geralt's sight. He heard the death throes of a creature and turned around again, to see the figure was suddenly in the thick of the enemy, cutting them down with ruthless efficiency. Heads flew from shoulders and black blood mixed with the rain in fountains from torsos.  
He could see the figure more clearly now, it looked like a man with dark hair-no, now pure glowing white, and with elfin pointed ears, back to the man, a tattered blue cloak on his back- no, now the elf again, clad in stylised armour with a wrinkled face.  
The figure's sword that cut through the swathes of enemies glowed in a blue fire, and an explosion centred on the figure sent the creatures flying, many had caught alight. They ran screaming, and died quickly as the magical blue fires consumed them, reducing them to a charred black husk.  
Geralt looked around the battlefield; all that was left was the ghostly shapeshifter, the creature in armour, and Geralt.

"Grayfhallker-" began the armoured creature, before the ghostly shapeshifter sped in to attack it with incredible speed.  
The creature was able to deflect the initial blow, and sent the shapeshifter back a step. The creature brought its axes down, but the shapeshifter deflected them with its sword, and flung itself over the creature, doing a handspring off of its shoulder, and a kick to the back of its head, stunning it. It landed with cat-like grace reminiscent of a trained witcher, and struck at the armoured creature repeatedly, sending its black blood spraying across the muddy ground. The creature was helpless to defend against such an onslaught and soon fell to its knees. It said something Geralt could not understand to the shapeshifter, who grasped the creature's head with its left hand. Geralt's medallion nearly jumped off its chain again, and the creature's eyes glowed a bright blue for the slightest second, then reverted to normal. The shapeshifter let go of it, and it rose up, walking back into the village as if nothing had happened.  
Realisation crossed Geralt's face; this was the ghost creature Ceandrar was talking about. As the shapeshifter turned to face Geralt, he drew his silver sword and got in a stance with his sword up. The shapeshifter stared at him, its features impossible to make out in the dark until a ghostly visage flickered across its face, then it also got into a battle stance, ready to fight.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The shapeshifter was the first to react, running at Geralt with sword in hand. It swung at his torso, Geralt deflected it with ease, and countered. The shapeshifter also countered by bringing its blade up in front of its face with unusual speed.

"You're a quick one aren't you? But what _are_ you?"

"Vhot?" replied the shapeshifter, before backing off to circle.

Geralt made a feint to the shapeshifter's right then swung low with a spin attacking the left. The shapeshifter fell for it, and the silver cut into its leg, a shallow wound but enough to draw its attention. The shapeshifter cried out in pain, but it sounded very human, not at all like what he expected. The shapeshifter looked at Geralt straight in the eyes as he stepped back, then it noticed his orange eyes, and scowled in anger,

"Hanntof Sauron," It said, in a deep and husky voice tainted with anger, its eyes flashed a brilliant blue glow

Geralt stepped back, as the shapeshifter's visage flickered again, revealing the elven features of its ghostly form. It stood, ignoring the pain from its leg wound and was suddenly right in front of Geralt, sword about to come down on his head. Geralt brought his sword up to parry just barely, as he was forced back by the strength of the attack. He had only just deflected it when it happened again, this time to his side, he sidestepped, and then a punch to his jaw sent him reeling backward. Geralt stumbled, grabbed a bomb from his belt and tossed it towards the shapeshifter. It detonated on impact, sending a cloud of obscuring powder into the air with a loud noise. The impact sent the shapeshifter onto its back, but it sprung right back up like a reed.  
Geralt rubbed his jaw, noticing his lip was cut.

"Fine, we'll do it that way then." He said, as he focussed his witcher senses, heightening his reflexes to fight his enigmatic and agile opponent.

Geralt sprang at his opponent, sword a blur against the rain. The shapeshifter just barely parried in time, but Geralt gave it no time to counter as he attacked repeatedly, sending the shapeshifter back, nearly tripping over its own feet. Geralt pressed the advantage, stepping in and bringing the flat of his blade alongside the shapeshifter's temple, dazing it. The shapeshifter rolled backwards then did the same move on Geralt as it did on the creature earlier and flipped over his head.  
When Geralt stumbled forward, his vision swam, all he could see was a light blue miasma swirling in front of his eyes, a commanding voice could be heard whispering in his head, but no audible words could be made out. Geralt was pulled from his stupor by a feeling of pain in his back as the shapeshifter's sword slashed through his jacket and armour, piercing his skin and drawing blood. Geralt twisted at the last second to avoid having his spine being severed. He turned, overcome with pain but grit his teeth and ignored it. The shapeshifter was breathing heavily, the wound on its leg had been pulled open and was bleeding. The figure glowed brightly, revealing the elven features again, before drawing a bow out of nowhere, and firing past Geralt, disappearing with a whooshing noise that Geralt turned to follow. The shapeshifter was now several yards away next to one of the creatures, which stumbled around without its head before tumbling down to the ground. The figure had its bow still drawn at Geralt, and fired, the arrow did not whistle through the air, more like a whisper of its presence that Geralt was just able to pick up. With a surge of willpower, he got up and swung his sword in front of him, his silver sword shattering the glowing arrow into a vapour. The shapeshifter clutched its leg in pain, and fired another spectral arrow into the distance, disappearing without a trace.

"So that was the Gravewalker was it?" said Geralt, watching it disappear.

He moved slowly, as not to cause his cut to widen, and downed a healing potion. It left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he felt a familiar prickling itch that indicated the wound was stitching itself back together. He sat there concentrating for a while as the potion forced his skin to close and muscles to knit back together. Once the potion had done its job he got back up and dusted himself off. The creature was not at all like what he had imagined; he was expecting some kind of spectre, but it appeared to be one only in appearance. If it was truly a spectre, then the man he saw was possessed, but with some kind of symbiotic relationship. Could the wraiths of this world do such a thing? He moved with inhuman speed and agility, much like a witcher, and struck with more strength than Geralt would expect from such a man.  
There were clearly other forces at play here, but Geralt needed to return to get an idea of what they were before he was discovered. Now that his wound had healed somewhat, he could move again, and began making his way back to the base camp.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

As Geralt walked back up to the clifftop, Ceandrar was the first to notice his arrival,

"Geralt! I feared we would not see you again. When Uno and Techa told me what happened," Ceandrar shook his head sympathetically, "Well, I am just glad we still have you. Come and sit, Radra has prepared game."

"I shot down some kind of reptilian bird. I've treated it so it should be safe to eat, but I make no promises." The elf was fletching some more arrows

"Thanks. Uno, Techa, you two get away alright?" said Geralt as he sat by the campfire

"Yes, thanks to you." said Techa graciously

"Vatt'ghern, what happened down there? When I looked back I saw blue lights like will-o-wisps around you as you fought." Asked Uno, before she bit into the strange meat

"To be honest, I don't know what that thing was, but it was powerful to be sure. I don't wanna run into it again any time soon."

"Well, hopefully you won't have to go anywhere near that place again. But we cannot stay here for long my friends, it is too close to those hostile creatures you fought. Tomorrow, I'll need you three to find a new place to set up camp." Said Ceandrar

"Witcher, could you possibly describe the entity you came into contact with after these two left?" said the Halfling woman, speaking for the first time since Geralt had met her,

"It looked like a man on the surface, he may have been a soldier at some point. He carried two swords, on his back like mine. Every now and then, his face would shift to that like a ghost, glowing and pale, and it looked like some kind of elf warrior when he did so."

The Halfling wrote all this down in her tome,

"Hmm, interesting, do continue."

"It looked like he could teleport a distance, and he had a glowing bow that he would fire before he did. They might be connected somehow. That's all I remember right now."

"Did this creature speak to you? Make any effort to communicate?" interrupted Ceandrar

"Not initially, it responded when I said something, but I don't think it understood me."

"Witcher Geralt, I will be taking the first watch tonight, as I am to join your scouting party instead of Uno tomorrow." Said Radra. Geralt nodded in response. He picked up one of the sticks with the cooked meat on it and bit into it. It tasted like goose, but it was stringy. Either way, it filled his belly to a satisfying degree, and he lay down to sleep, troubled by the glowing eyes of the being he had fought.

Geralt was awoken by the sound of armour; metal against metal and armoured boots trudging along the ground. His eyes snapped open, and he slowly got up and retrieved his swords, tightening the belts around his torso in preparation. He gently nudged Techa and Uno awake, and they donned their armour and drew their swords. The rest of the party was roused and prepared for whatever was coming their way. A short while later, the noises became audible to the rest of them, and soon later, heads of the creatures from earlier poked over the edges.  
In addition to a legion of the creatures, there were several large quadrupedal animals by their sides. They looked like ghouls, but were nearly the size of a bear, with massive fangs and gaping jaws dripping with saliva.

"Geralt, what do we do here?" asked Ceandrar

"Stay calm. They haven't attacked yet, so maybe they're here peacefully." Replied Geralt

"Hah, I very much doubt it, if tha' were the case, they wouldna' brought them beasties." Replied on of the dwarves, hefting a heavy axe in his hands, his brother nodded in agreement with his warhammer in hand.  
The assembled forces opposing the party stopped at twenty paces away. Geralt noticed that they had boxed them in against the edge of the cliff and the remains of the tower they used to enter this world. Geralt drew his steel sword, waiting for some kind of reaction. A sudden movement caught his attention, and the assembled force broke ranks to allow someone through. It was the armoured creature from before, its two axes on it back, still dripping with blood. It stood at the front, but neither said nor did anything.

"Vatt'ghern…" began Uno, when suddenly, Geralt's medallion began to vibrate, a little at first, then began to tug in the direction of the tower's remains. He turned, and looked up. He saw the shapeshifter from before leap out of thin air, change form into the glowing elf, flip once and land heavily in a kneeling position. It quickly straightened and drew its sword from its back with a quick and efficient motion.

"Back up everyone, it's me it wants." Said Geralt, the party willingly obliged.

"So, are we going to try this again then?" said Geralt out loud, but the shapeshifter did not respond. Geralt noticed that the wound on its leg, and the clothing surrounding it, was already repaired.

"Damn, it heals fast. Better defeat it quick then."

He swapped out for his silver sword and drew closer to the shapeshifter, ready for a rematch.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The shapeshifter stood motionless, staring at Geralt as he slowly approached but never letting him out of its sight. Geralt advanced, noting that the assembled forces all seemed content to stare and watch as he did so.

"So, they're yours are they? Some kind of mind control magic over them?" said Geralt to the shapeshifter

"Aycannd ontresdann yue," replied the shapeshifter in the strange language that Geralt almost felt like he recognised.

The shapeshifter dashed forwards, striking at Geralt's face. Geralt battered the sword away and sidestepped to the shapeshifter's left side and struck with the pommel of his sword to the shapeshifter's temple, sending it back in pain. Geralt pressed the attack, making several cuts into the shapeshifter's flesh with his silver sword. The blade hissed each time it met flesh, the magic of the creature reacting to the metal as if it were acid. The shapeshifter finally found the strength to parry Geralt's blows and sent his sword wide, landing a kick in his groin, which his armour muffled, but it still caused him great pain. The shapeshifter dealt Geralt back as many wounds as he did it, finishing with a powerful punch that carried some kind of magical force with it as it sent him flying backwards and clouded his mind for a second.  
The creature was limping, but Geralt was in no better shape. He would have to end this quickly, or likely be killed, but they were still surrounded by the creatures from before, he may be done for either way. Geralt stood, and blinked as blood flowed into his eye, blurring his vision. The shapeshifter sensed this moment of weakness and attacked, but not in the way Geralt expected. Instead of a swing of its sword, the shapeshifter reached out and grabbed Geralt's head with its hand. Immediately, it began to change into its elven form, starting from the hand that grasped him.

"Do not resist!" said the elf in a commanding voice, whom Geralt could suddenly understand. He tried to resist anyway, but it was as though his own mind was fighting him. He tried with all his will to stand and fight, but the elf's magic was too strong. He felt one knee hit the ground, then the other as his shoulders slumped. He could feel his mind being pried open like a crate, revealing its contents. He desperately tried to repel the force, but to no avail.  
As he knelt there motionless, the world around him turned to a swirling grey mist, obscuring everything that was not the ghostly elf in front of him. The elf spoke out loud and turned to its right,

"This human has a very strong will, but I sense it is more than human now. His memories span many decades, and contain nothing that is familiar to me." Geralt's eyes went wide, he could understand the elf perfectly all of a sudden, was this some kind of telepathy? But the elf's mouth formed the words as it spoke. The human figure from before appeared out of the swirling clouds next to the elf and spoke,

"He is a warrior, but not one of any place I have seen. Celebrimbor, what shall we do with him? With those eyes and that pale skin, he looks as though he is one of Sauron's minions."

"He challenged us, but we have him at our mercy, I suggest we go over what he knows in more detail and find out if there are more like him in Sauron's forces."

"I don't know who this Sauron is, we just got here." said Geralt, causing both of them to stare at him in surprise,

"Just got here? What do you mean?" said the man

"I mean, we came from another world. We've only been here a day, and I don't know what this Sauron is."

The two looked at each other incredulously until the elf spoke, its hand still on Geralt's face,

"He speaks the truth Talion, he is not of Middle-Earth, nor Upper or Lower."

"Can- can you let me go? I really hate telepathy." Said Geralt. The elf looked back to him and nodded, releasing his hand, and Geralt fell backwards onto the soft ground as the swirling clouds disappeared and the world returned around him.

"Geralt! Are you still alive?" cried Ceandrar from the sidelines,

"Yeah, just had a chat with Celebrimbor and Talion here."

"So, your name is Geralt then?" said the man in Common Speech,

"Yeah, you can speak Common? Why didn't you say so?" said Geralt as he got upright

"I could not, not until I entered your mind." The man waved a hand, and all of the creatures that had encircled them fell back and retreated back to where they came from

"You command those creatures?" said Techa, drawing near along with the rest of the party,

"Yes, with the power of the Wraith, I command the Uruk-hai of this land."

"Where is this land anyway?" said the Halfling woman, who had still not given Geralt her name

"This is Núrn, over there is the sea of Núrnen. I have much to tell you, travellers from a distant world. There is a human settlement where you can rest without fear of the Uruks. I can lead you there."

"Gladly, but we do not even know your name stranger." Said the dwarf with a hammer,

"Apologies, I am Talion, former Ranger of the Black Gate. The elf lord spirit who shares my body is Celebrimbor. I will tell you more once we arrive, it is prudent that we leave now while it is still early."

The party quickly rushed to pack up their gear as the sun began to rise in the distance.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Talion led the party through Núrn at a brisk pace, keeping them away from Uruk patrols and wild beasts that roamed the land. Once they had crossed the large swath of open land, they reached a rocky outcrop and made their way inside, revealing a large chamber hidden inside the caves. It had been outfitted for a human dwelling. Talion led them to a wizened woman sitting upon a throne. She carried a large staff, wore a coronet, and was breathing slowly, sleeping. Talion had already gifted each of them fluency in the local language using his mind powers. The others were hesitant at first, but Geralt convinced them otherwise.

"Wait here," said Talion, as he walked forward into the next chamber and knocked lightly on the door. A young woman with blonde hair opened, her eyes lit up at seeing Talion.

"Talion! It's good to see you."

"You too. I have found a group of travellers out by the sea, I've brought them here for safety if Lady Marwen will accept."

"I don't see why she wouldn't, but you should ask her yourself."

"I didn't want to wake her."

"Don't be foolish," the woman walked past him to the older woman on the throne,

"Mother, there are people here to see you." she gently shook the old woman awake, who blinked and looked around the room, quickly finding the latest group of travellers. She pressed herself against her staff as she stood, making her way towards them and stopping in front of Geralt, who did not speak.

"In you, I sense great tragedy. Your destiny lies tied to another from beyond. You cannot remain here; you will leave." Lady Marwen's voice had something in it that was more than human, and Geralt's medallion began to vibrate,

"Are you saying we're not welcome?" asked Geralt

"You are welcome to stay here, but you in particular, will not remain. There are things you must do, back where you came from."

"With all due respect, I'd like to rest before I leave." Said Geralt carefully,

"You are welcome to stay here, all of you. We have beds and shelter from the Uruk-hai." Said the woman, her voice sounding normal.

The young woman and Talion led them to a series of rooms, where they settled in to rest, finally, in relative safety.  
Geralt sat on the bed he was given in a room by himself, thinking to himself. He allowed the events of the past day to wash over him. Talion entered silently and knocked on the doorframe.

"Geralt, do you have time to talk?"

"Sure, what is it?"

Talion walked in and sat next to him,

"When I looked in your mind, I saw a lot of your life, its pain and struggle, I cannot comprehend a lot of it, but I wanted to extend my sympathies to you."

"Thanks, not many people I know would say as much."

"Not many people can see into your mind I would think."

"You'd be surprised," said Geralt with a small smile, "So, Talion, tell me what this wraith power you have is."

"My family and I were part of a ritual sacrifice that was intended to summon Celebrimbor to serve Sauron, but as I was sacrificed, it did not work as they intended, and Celebrimbor's spirit was bound to mine. He allows me to tap into the wraith world, granting me the abilities you've witnessed. Now, Geralt, tell me about yourself."

"Well," Geralt stood, "Where I come from, I am known as a witcher, a mutant created specifically to hunt monsters. Many people on my world see us as aberrations and heartless murderers, because in order to become a witcher, they make us go through the Trial of Grasses, changing our bodies to make them better, when it works."

"Is that why your eyes look like that?"

"Yes, also why my hair is white."

"Mm, I will admit, when I saw your pale skin and orange eyes, I thought you were a minion of Sauron."

"Do they look like me then?"

"One did, anyway."

"You mentioned this Sauron, what is it?"

"Sauron is a powerful enemy, and the embodiment of evil. He rules over the Uruks and seeks to dominate this world using the One Ring Celebrimbor crafted. It… is a long story."

"I'll bet. No need to tell it all now then, but I bet our archivist would be very interested."

"Ah, that would be the Halfling woman with the book then?"

"Yes."

"Very well, you can tell her that I would be happy to tell her what she wishes to know. Geralt, what brings you people here?"

"The elf Ceandrar wanted to escape the racial prejudices from our world, as non-humans are often seen as lesser by humans. He brought them here as an expeditionary group and hired me for protection from the unknown."

"You seem proficient."

"Yeah, I've been going at it a while, which helps. They decided to come here to settle a new home, though it seems that may not be possible."

"Núrn is not the best place for settlers right now, not while Sauron's forces control it. The people here are actually planning to leave anyway; there is a war coming to Mordor, and I fear not many will survive."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The party was granted a place to stay in the caverns as its inhabitants began to pack up and leave around them. Ceandrar was anxiously discussing something with the Halfling woman, who was writing with speed in her tome. She looked up and saw Geralt standing in the doorway patiently and nodded to Ceandrar without a word. He turned and stood to meet him,

"Geralt, I must thank you for everything you have done for us so far. We would all likely be dead otherwise."

Geralt nodded with his arms folded,

"It's what you're paying me for after all."

"True, I don't suppose you'll be staying with us here then?"

"No, I have business back in our world. Business I can't put off. I appreciate the offer though."

"Well, I've been talking to some people who live here, and I will likely still have need of your swords. If we are to make a home here, we will need to make sure it is safe for ourselves and others. The portal is too far from here to set up camp here, we cannot simply ask our potential settlers to trek across this land like we did."

"Fine, as long as you're still paying me."

"Of course, I have left instructions for you to be paid upon your return, no worries about that, the ealdorman has your payment. I had an idea, for the moment, we can set up a proper camp in the ruins we exited from and work our way from there. It will take a few days, and that Talion fellow has agreed to escort us back to the site, so I can properly install a portal to these caverns. The magic here is… foreign, but since portals, both interplanar and intraplanar, are my specialty, it shouldn't take me long to build a stable connection to this site. Lady Marwen has already given her blessing on our usage and wishes us good fortune in our endeavour, and I wished her the same with hers."

"Where are you going with this Ceandrar? If you want me to guard the ruins while you set up, that I can do."

"Ah, excellent. Yes, that is essentially what I had in mind. Delia here has been documenting these caves and they are certainly a worthwhile spot, and relatively free of monsters, with the exception of these Uruks."

"Fine. Oh, Delia,Talion said he would be happy to tell you about this world. Ceandrar, whenever you are ready, come and get me."

"Of course. I believe the Kegna brothers were looking for you. Wanted a word to you and Talion. They're probably still eating, but they wanted to talk to you both before they went hunting."

"Sure, thanks."

Geralt stood to leave, bidding them both farewell and headed to the dining hall. Indeed, the two dwarfs sat, eating and drinking merrily, even though it was still early in the morning.

"Witcher! We were wonderin' where ye had gotten of ta."

"So, you must be the Kegna brothers." Replied Geralt, sitting next to the taller of the two, wielder of an axe

"Aye, them's us. I'm Kucard, me brother's Torturn." Said the one with the axe

"Nice to meet you both. So what did you want to talk to me about? Have a job?"

"Nah, no monster slayin' for ye, we can handle that ourselves. We's professionals, like you, though not witchers obviously." Said Torturn, finishing off a trencher

"Oi, witcher, ever know why your lot never took in dwarfish boys to make into mutants? Seems to me like a wasted opportunity." Said Kucard as he drank the last of his beer

"No idea, maybe because dwarven children are harder to come by?"

"Ah, never looked in tha right place then. We gots orphans, jus' like any race." Torturn took a swig, "Well, these folk know how to make decent booze at least, I'll give 'em that. Time we got going, eh Kucard?"

"Aye, witcher, of you're ready ta go, we are." Kucard got up and picked up his axe from nearby

"You still haven't told me what you want me to join you for."

"Oh right! We was going hunting, Talion says he knows some good spots, and he'll teach us 'bout the local beasts. Says there's some mighty fierce ones here."

Geralt sighed, it wasn't the first time had been nothing more than a glorified bodyguard for such endeavours, and it would likely not be the last.

"Fine. When do we leave?"

"Talion said he'd meet us outside when we're ready." The brothers hopped off their seats and started towards the door, slinging their weapons over their backs. Geralt followed behind them to the entrance of the cave system. Talion was waiting for the three of them, leaning against a rock

"So, you wish to learn about the creatures of this land then?" he asked

"Aye, if we're ta stay here, it'd be handy ta know what else does." Said Torturn

"Very well. This way." Talion began to lead them through the narrow passage between the rocks that hid them from the Uruks and down towards the plains. From the plateau they stood upon, they had a wide view of the surrounding area. Below them, a small pack of the large creatures that reminded Geralt of huge ghouls prowled the area

"First things first, one of the more common beasts you'd be likely to come across is a caragor. It is a large cat-like creature, and they make fine mounts. If you can tame one, it makes traversing Mordor much easier, however, they will not cross water."

"Was that the beast that your Uruks were riding the other day?"

"Yes. They are usually very fierce and will attack unprovoked, so you must be ready for it. Geralt, you should have no problem with this particular manoeuvre, so watch what I do."

Talion leaped down to where the caragors were. When they noticed his approach, two of them rushed at him with their jaws open. Talion dodged the first, while the other leaped at him. He ducked under it and used its momentum to toss it through the air, making it land on its back, stunned. He ran over to it and jumped on its back, grabbing a tuft of fur on the back of its head. The caragor attempted to buck him repeatedly, as a horse would, but Talion held fast, and punched the back of its head for good measure. The caragor finally submitted to his control and growled, sounding irritated.

"And that's roughly how you do it. it won't last forever, but it will make them at least ridable. One at a time, come down and try."

"Oho, I gotta try this." Kucard jumped down, dusting his hands in anticipation

"Interestingly enough, it was a dwarf who taught me this in the first place." Added Talion

"And I bet he knew his stuff. Alright, let's get ta taming."


End file.
